Tractor wheel



0. BOYER.

mom w'nm.

APPLICAHON FILED FEB. I7, 1920.

Panted Apr. 18, 1922.

0. BOYER.

TRACTOR WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED res. I1. w20.

1,412,999, Panted Apr. 18, 1922.

.2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WITNESSES 2 62% EY ff f` man@ PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER BOYER, OF SPENCERVILLE, OHIO.

TRACTR WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

Application led February 17, 1920. Serial vNo. 359,261.

To all whom I? may concer-1i.'

Be it known that l, OLIVER Borna, a citi- Zen of the United States,residingl at Spencerville, in the county oit Allenand State of Ohio,have invented a new anduseiiul Trac.- tor lVheel, oi which the followingis a specification.

This invention has reference to tractor wheels, and its object is toprovide a tractor wheel with projectable and retractable spurs ortractors permitting' the spui's to be Witlidrawn until flush withthe rimot' the wheel or projected into ground-engaging position when iulltractive etfect is desired. ln this manner, harm to paved roadways isavoid ed while the tractor wheel-may be utilized to advantage on softground or on unimproved roads.

rlhe invention is an improvement upon my prior Patent No. 1,202,785, tora traction wheel, granted Get. 51, i916.

In the said Letters Patent the construction is such that three tractordevices or spurs are under the control oi? a single actuating device andeach actuatingl device com piises a similar number o cams mounted on ashaft common thereto. in accordance with the present invention, a crankshaft with two cranks, which may be all in one piece, is utilized foractuating` two tractors, instead oi threeV as in the aforesaid LettersPatent. This is productive of greater ease of operation and less wear onthe working parts, as well as elimination or side play.

The invention also includes guide bearings embracing but a portion orthe circumfereir tial extent of the spurs ory tractors so that liabilityof clogging and wear, especially in muddy roads, is greatlyreduced, andmoreover the guides are self-cleaning, this also contributing to ease ofadjustment and the reduction ot wear.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings formingl part of this specification. with the understanding,however, that the invention is not confined to anj7 strict conformitywith the showing in the drawings, but may changed and moditied so longlas such changes and moditications mark no material departure 'from thesalient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is an elevation of a. tractor wheel embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 9.-2 oi Fir. l. u

ig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing` two adjacent spurs or tractorsprojected.

iig. t is a iace view of one end of the hub ot the wheel showingpositions of the parts in different adjustments.

Figx is a perspective View of one of the crank shafts used in the hub ofthe wheel.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a wheel l having a rim ortread 2 of the usual broad flat type employed in tractor wheels.Connected to therim by spokes 3, which may be oit usual type, is a hubil in the form ofa sleeve with circumferential series of axially spacedradial lugs 5 grouped in pairs, with the lugs oit' a pair a suiiicientdistance apart to accommodate certain mechanism to be described. Eachlug has a journal bearingG therein provided with a cap 7 completingthebearing, and the bearings in any pair or' axially spaced lugs are inalinement in the direction ot the thickness of the wheel. Seated in eachpair of alined bearings is a shaft S, there being as many shafts asthere are bearings, and in the particular showing of the drawings fivesuch shafts are mounted in the wheel.L lt is to be understood, however,that the particular number of shafts employed may vary, large wheelspermitting the useV of a greater number of shafts than small wheels.Each shaft 8 has its end portions alined and between the end portions isprovided with' a suitable number or" joined crank disks 9, theconjunction of the disks being through appropriately related crank pinsl0. The end portions of the shaft 8, t-he crank disks 9 and the crankpins l0 are or may be in one piece. One end of each shaft 8 terminatesin an extension squared as shown at ll, or is otherwise appropriatelyshaped to receive a manipulating tool 2O whereby the crank shaft may berotated at the will of an operator. The crank pins 'l0 are eccentric tothe axis of the shaft 8 and the disks 9 are also eccentric to the shaft8 with the pins 'l0 eccentric to each other and to the disks 9. Theariangement is such that when the shaft S is turned to a certainposition, both pins l0 are equidistantly spaced 'from the wheel rim 2.

At chosen intervals about the inner tace of the rim 2, guides 12 aresecured by rivets 13 or in any other appropriate manner and these guidesmatch periioiations or passages 1/1 through the rim. The guide blocksand passages are designed to receive, guide and brace traction devices15, either in the form of rectangular blocks or ot any other suitableform, permitting the blocks to slide through the guides into projectedrelation to the outer tace of the Wheel rim or be retracted untilsubstantially flush therewith. The guides 12 are open guides in 'thatthey are provided with sidewings 16 embracing the edgesv of the blocks15 between them. The Wings 16, in conjunction with the perforationsla',constitute the sole guides tor the traction devices or blocks 15 and theblocks are free to move through and beyond the link 18, the other end otthe link carrying a bearing strap 19 encircling acorresponding-one-o'lithe pins 10.

When a shaft 8 is rotated by a tool 2O applied to the squared end 11l otthe shat't, the eccentricity o'li'each pin 1() to the axis oit rotationcauses a movement ot' a link 18 to produce theV projection or retractionot the block 15 to which the link is attached. ly applying the tool 2Oto the different shafts 8 and rotatingthem in the appropriate direc'-tion, all the blocksor traction devices 15 may be projected beyond theperiphery ot the rim 2, whereby the Wheel 1 is con verted into thetractionavheel, or the traction devices 15y may be retracted untiltl'ush With the rim 2.

In order to hold the shafts @incertain chosen positions, crank platesV21 are applied to the squared ends 11 oi said shafts so as toturn withthem, the squared ends 11 being long enough to permit the presence oftheplates'2il and to project therebeyond to receive the crank handle ortool 20. Each crank plate 21 carries at the outer or tree end avsetscreiv 22 adapted to enter any one ot a series of sockets 23 in a taceplate 2a at the ,tion blocks are fully projected.

appropriate end of the hub ot the Wheel. The sockets 23 are so situatedthat when the set screw 22 is in one of them, the traction blocks 15 areall tully retracted, and When set in another one o' the sockets thetrac- When the set screw 22 is in the third one of the sockets 23, therebeing three such sockets to each shalt S, the traction devices or blocks15 are partially projected so that an operator has a. choice otadjustment ot the traction devices in accordance Wit-h the character ofthe ground over which the Wheel is moving.

By making the means for projecting and retracting the tractor devices asa one-piece structure composed ot spaced crank disks with alined shaltend portions, the manA utacture is simplified and cheapened and theassembling` ot the Wheel is made easier and may be done by relativelycheap labor, besidesimproving the hub structure over that shown in theaforesaid Letters Patent; Furthermore, the crank disks serve to steadythe connecting links to theV traction blocks and avoid the necessity'ot' special provision to prevent side movement.

lV hat is claimed is t- 1. 1 tractor Wheel provided With extensible andretractable tractor devices or blocks, with each tractor device providedwith a guide tast to the inner tace ottherim of the Wheel, said guidehaving opposed laterally separated Wings in embracing relation tolateral edges only of the tractordevices, whereby each tractor device isfree lrom the guides at the liront and rear and is theretorelself-cleaning;

2. A tractor Wheel provided with a substantially vilat `rim having acircumferential series oit passages therethrough, guides on the innertace ot the rim each matching a.

respective one o1' the passages, with the guides provided at laterallyopposite sides with facing Wings spaced apart laterally of the rim, andnrojectable and retractable trace l tor devices slidable through theguides and at the edges only embraced by the Wings, whereby the tractordevices are supported by the guides and are self-cleaning.

ln testimony, 'that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaiiixed my signature.

@LIVER BOYER.

